Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

We just placed an order for 10 dual stage scavenge pumps for the M96 engine. Let’s hope we can find 10 people who want one.

Or one person who wants 10.

It depends also if the van is car derived van and how it is registered at DVLA.

Or one person who wants 10.

I am, 100%, not fussy either way. I'd just like not to lose my shirt.

Looking online at "proper vans" only.
Even if it's just a distant dream right now.
T5's look to fit the bill and imaginary ballpark budget.

Anyone experienced the 2.5 vs 1.9 TDI?

I really don't know much about vans but a 150-180k miles T5 or Vito still has a long life ahead of them, right?

Look for rust, the T4 1.9 is a great van and takes alot abuse..80k no servicing and overheat badly twice the headgasket failed. Still ran well.

Look at the crafter too, sprinters also rust badly. I'd throw in the Iveco or the transit. T5 has a premium over the Iveco and the transit. But then the T5 holds its price.

EDIT look at vans that have been insurance write off with cosmetic damage

I've finally got a price for fixing the oil leak of death on the RS6 from an RS specialist, together with a major service because by the time the engine's in that many bits it would be rude not to. The good news is that it'll cost less than it would at the Audi main dealer. It's still enough to buy a half-decent secondhand car though.

What else are you going to do whilst it's apart?

Stay in a little cottage in the Wirral and go for bike rides is my plan. Should only take 2 days, allegedly.

Cool that you’re getting it looked after/sorted tho. Too cool a car to lay to waste.

Have you watched Harry's Garage recently! What other horrors lie beneath...

I have not. Worst comes to the worst I'll just get the engine rebuilt to Stage 2 spec with hybrid turbos.

I still like it. Still hoping one day to do a 200mph run in it. Even in stock tune it's still pulling hard when the limiter kicks in at 155mph.

Fuck yes.

UK based VAG parts suppliers?

Lots of Autodoc aliases out there on the web and I can't find anything actually UK based. Brexit has made shipping a complete crap shoot - in a race between parts from Japan and from Germany ordered on the same day, the Japanese parts arrived within 5 days, the German stuff is still on a lorry somewhere.

TPS, but by all accounts they have stopped dealing with the public. Always worth a try. Your local branch might be friendlier.

Yeah. Every 3rd word on their website is "trade." :(

Just a render, but this imaginary Hellcat Minivan is dreamy.

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I love cars...

Fan motor (I think) started smoking 5 minutes from home.

Unplugged it and drove home with no more smoke so I'm confident it's that but it's a 30 minute job to whip it out and confirm before ordering a new one. It's €400 and 5 weeks for genuine or €150 and 2 days for a non Volvo branded part.

Think I'll have to go for the latter as much as it pains me to do so on this car.

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I’m 183cm and regularly sleep in the back of my 2006 XC70.

Boot floor is long and completely flat with seats folded.

Your other half has the same sunny temperament as mine?

Cheers. Hoping to go and look at some soon.

Also going to have a look at a Subaru Outback nearby which seems to be a popular choice in this thread

Just paid a small deposit on this luxurious machine, which will be all mine in a few days. Agreed to pay the asking price, a princely sum of about £800. Everything works as it should, a bit of rust around the arches but should be an ok second car for a year or two. I just need to keep myself in check and not try to fix everything and make it perfect.

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1.0 or the fire-breathing 1.3 model?

Just try not to think of all the first car teenage sex that's happened in the back of that.